Completed 29 stays as of mid December and needed one more stay to qualify for Diamond in 2017, so I thought I will just book a night at Hilton Singapore on new years eve and get a couple of friends over to celebrate the new year. To my horror I realized 3 days before check-in that the stay would count towards my 2017 status instead. Fortunately after I posted a cry for help on Instagram, a good samaritan from Flyertalk actually transferred his stay to me. My faith in humanity is restored.
So anyhow, as I booked a non-refundable rate, I had no choice but to stay with them even though the price that I got was not the most value for money.
I booked the basic King Deluxe room but was pre-upgraded to a King Hilton Executive Plus room. Not too much of an upgrade but I was contented since Hilton Singapore is known to be stingy with their upgrades.
Arriving at around 3pm, I was underwhelmed by the tired looking state of the lobby. It looked and felt like a motel when compared to the Grand Hyatt nearby. The hotel was sold out and the check in counter was flooded with tons of people. The room that I checked into online was unavailable and I was given another room instead. After settling all the administrative matters, I arrived at my very generic and sparse room, which was located on the 22nd floor, the same level as the executive lounge.
There was an entryway and immediately to the right was a bathroom. The bathroom was tiny and featured the usual. I did not like the shower-bath tub combination (which is typical of most hotels in the US) and would have rather they have standalone shower instead. Toiletries were provided by Peter Thomas Roth, which was a Hilton brand standard.
The bed was comfortable. (I generally find all hotel beds comfortable because I can sleep anywhere) There was a desk suitable for working and an ottoman by the bedside. There was a balcony, but even so it was bare. No welcome amenity was provided as well. There isn't much to say about the room at all and I was definitely not impressed.
Headed over to the lounge for afternoon tea. The lounge itself was a beautiful space, however the spread was disappointing. The variety and quality of the food were sub-par compared to other 5* properties in Singapore. Perrier water, which they used to serve was gone. I was barely in the executive lounge for more than 15 minutes and decided to leave and head over to Ion Orchard, a short 5 minutes walk away to get real afternoon tea.
After getting all the necessary items for my gathering in the evening, I headed back to the hotel. On the way back, I decided to make a stop at the executive lounge for evening canapés and the place was filled to the brim. There were insufficient seats and the place was understaffed. The quality of food was again just adequate. Nothing amazing. Grabbed some small nibbles and a few bubbly(s) and I was off.
Missed breakfast the next day because I only arrived back at the hotel at 7am the next morning after a night of partying. My request for late request was rejected because the hotel was “soldout”, but on checking the Hilton HHonors app, they were selling every single room type. I hate it when I am being lied to. I mean it is a good excuse to dismiss uninformed guests, but when you do not even try to come up with an excuse that cannot be exposed, that is just sloppy. And I was not even trying to be unreasonable because late check out is a Diamond benefit. This really ruined the stay for me.
Overall this stay was unmemorable and uninspiring. As a 5 star hotel, there was nothing that stood out for me. With so many properties at the same price points like the Intercontinental Singapore and Conrad Singapore (which grants 6pm late checkouts), I really do not see myself staying here again.